Method and apparatus for decorating materials



p i 1937- G. VON WEBERN zmmw METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DECORAT ING MATERIALS Filed Feb. 9, 1934 Patented Apr. 20, 1937 PATENT OFFl-CE METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DECORAT- ING MATERIALS Guido von Weber-n, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to Oxford Varnish Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Michigan Application February 9, 1934,. Serial No. 710,519

2 Claims.

This invention is concerned with the effecting of Wood grainingv upon workpieces, which have been formed previously with rounded or curved surfaces, and the general object thereof is the provision of a novel method and apparatus for effecting bent wood grain appearances upon such workpieces.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a novel method and apparatus for effecting etched wood graining appearances upon work-pieces, whereon it is desired to obtain the appearance of bent wood and contiguous straight wood grain effects upon the workpieces.

A further object of my invention is the provision of an apparatus which can be utilized to effect edgewood grain finishes having both straight edgewood grain and bent wood grain appearances, upon a variety of objects, kindred in shape but varying in size.

Other objects of my invention will become apparent from the description thereof, hereinafter set forth, particular reference being made to the accompanying drawing. The essential characteristics of the invention are summarized in the claims.

In the drawing, Fig. l is a plan view of a composite wood grain design, in the form of an intaglio printing surface, which may be in the form of a plate or cylinder; Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic representation of a side elevation of the use of an offset or transfer roll, applying a design obtained from the printing surface shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the application of a wood grain design to a smaller workpiece; Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a workpiece to be grained.

In the present invention, I derive a wood grain design of the desired grain classification, by compositing bent grains and straight grains in a master design in such a manner that the bent grain will have continuity within the straight grain throughout the design. The bent grain lines and the straight grain lines are of the same general texture, and the grain selected, being the edge grain of the wood to be simulated. In the particular instance illustrated, I show a design developed for the purpose of edge graining window moldings for automobile bodies, particularly when such moldings or trims are preformed into shapes such as the closed illustrated shape shown in Fig. 4, and in making the master I control the bent wood grain curvatures relative to the length of the design, and the straight grain lines in such a manner that the printing surface, when once derived, can be utilized to grain moldings of varying lengths and of varying curvatures, and it is to be understood that the grain lines shown in Fig. 1 are illustrative only and are to be interpreted in the light of the description thereof hereinafter given.

In deriving the master design for etching upon the plate I0, I group the moldings according to length, width and corner curvatures usually with the molding having the smallest width and length on the inside and the molding with the largest width and length on the outside and the intermediately dimensioned moldings arranged in consecutive order in between the largestand smallest molding frame. I then form a line diagram of the respective molding pieces when thus positioned, and through the guidance of this diagram I can arrange a composite of bent wood grain lines and transverse and longitudinal straight grain lines in such manner that there will be a continuity of the grains. This composite design can be obtained photographically by photographing edges of curved pieces of wood of varying radii and the edges of straight strips of the same kind of wood. Photographic prints can then be made and these prints or pieces thereof can be matched while being assembled upon a panel, with the grain lines thereof extending in the directions desired. The curved designs with the varying radii thereof are set to extend in general conformity with the curved contour lines of the molding members. This matching, when done with care, requires a very small amount of labor in retouching and when the panel is completed I then derive therefrom, through the well-known photographic method, an etched design thereof upon the metal plate "I.

The derivation of the master design just referred to is not illustrated in the drawing, inasmuch as the etched reproduction thereof is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 1, wherein it will be noted that the area of transverse straight lines graining M, at the left of the printing surface, shows the diagrammatic grain lines substantially parallel, but having continuity with the bent grain lines 66 and I1. The bent grain lines terminate in and are contiguous with the longitudinally extending grain lines 20 and 2i. The straight grain lines extending transversely of the design to the right, do not extend exactly parallel, but conform to the sloping end contours of the moldings, as illustrated by the area 22, and each line is contiguous with the longitudinally extending grain lines 20 and 2| through the connecting bent grain lines 24 and 25, the radii of which gradually increase from the central regions of the design outwardly. The molding contours and the location of the particular etched grain transfers therefor, which are to be taken from the printing surface, are indicated by dot and dash lines M, which do not comprise lines on the printing surface proper.

To indicate toan operator where the take-off of a transfer should begin for any particular molding, markers indicated at M on Fig. 1 can be placed on the face of the plate ID to one side of the etched design. The operator, after having prepared the printing surface by the application of ink and scraping in the usual manner, can then tion with the design on the transfer roll.

apply the transfer roll 40 with the axis thereof coincident with one of the marks Ml, M2, M3, etc., and by rolling over the prepared printing surface, obtain a transfer on the surface of the roll 40, whereupon the roll 40 can then be passed over the edge of the molding frame, the operation being repeated for each molding frame, (see Fig. 3).

Should it be desired to edge grain several moldings at one time, the moldings can be placed upon a follow-board 50, (see Fig. 2), which board can be provided with grooves corresponding in contours to the contours of the molding frames, and in the same relation to each other as the dot and dash lines M, indicated in Fig. l. The operator will then begin his transfer at the left end of the plate at the mark Ml, which corresponds to the largest molding frame of the group placed upon the follow board 50. After having obtained the transfer on the surface of the roll 40 from the plate I0, he can then pass the transfer roll over the group of molding frames on the follow board and when applying the transfer roll to the molding frame, the roll will be positioned so that the beginning of the design transfer will contact, the largest molding frame of the group, first. Then, by one rolling action of the transfer roll, several molding frames of different sizes will be edge grained.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the area 30 on the plate l0 need carry no printing surface. It also will be apparent that should it be desirable to effect the printing surface upon a cylinder, the same can be done in a well-known manner by etching the design onto the cylinder surface. Such a cylinder can be incorporated in a machine provided with a transfer roll and some form of conveyor means, mechanically geared to the transfer roll or the etched cylinder, whereby stops could function to bring the follow-board 50 with the molding frame or molding frames thereon into proper registra- I claim: 1. In graining articles having relatively straight portions and connecting curved portions, by the transfer of a grain design in color from a pattern to such article, the characteristics that the pattern has two sets of substantially straight and parallel grain lines, the sets extending transversely of each other and being connected by a set of substantially parallel curved grain lines, each of said sets covering areas considerably wider than the surface of the article to be grained, whereby different sizes of said articles may be decorated by selection of different zones of the pattern.

2. In graining generally polygonal frames having connected relatively straight sides and curved corner portions, by the transfer of a grain design in color from a pattern to such article, the characteristics that the pattern has sets of substantially parallel generally straight grain lines, the adjacent sets extending transversely of each other and connected by substantially parallel curved grain lines contiguous with the lines of said straight line sets, two non-adjacent sets covering areas considerably wider than the similarly positioned sides of a frame to be grained, whereby a plurality of sizes of generally similar frames may be grained from the same pattern, as described.

GUIDO VON WEBERN. 

